It calls itself as “the world’s oldest motorcycle rally,” and in June 2023 the town of Laconia, New Hampshire will host the 100th edition of its Motorcyle Week.
In 1947 LIFE sent photographer Sam Shere to chronicle an early but already bustling version of the gathering, and the magazine’s story in its Aug. 11, 1947 issue was inspired in part by the growth of cycling as a social activity in the years following World War II. “Today’s 200,000 “bike” riders are organized like so many Panzer units into well-disciplined clubs with costumes,” LIFE wrote. “…To these stalwarts the motorcycle is a white charger, an emblem of knighthood. The gas fumes, the roaring wind, and the staccato snorting of the exhaust enchant them.”
Shere’s photos capture the joyful juxtaposition of leather-clad bikers converging on a quaint New England setting. But the images that stand out most feature cyclists from the Motor Maids of America. The group, dedicated to bringing female motorcyclists together, began in 1940 with a few dozen riders and today boasts a membership of about 1,300. The photos from the Laconia rally include shots of the group’s founder, Dot Robinson, with her 15-year-old-daughter Betty. Their Motor Maids uniforms are both jaunty and a tad formal. They make the Motor Maids look like meter maids gone rogue.
They also help the Laconia rally look like a rollicking good time.
A motorcyle rally in Laconia, New Hampshire, July 1947.
Sam Shere/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock
Motorcycle rally, Laconia, N.H., 1947.
Sam Shere/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock
Motorcycle rally, Laconia, N.H., 1947.
Sam Shere/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock
Motorcycle rally, Laconia, N.H., 1947.
Sam Shere/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock
Motorcycle rally Laconia, N.H., 1947.
Sam Shere/LIfe Picture Collection/Shutterstock
Dot Robinson (right), founder of the Motor Maids of America, and her daughter Betty, 15, at a motorcycle rally in Laconia, N.H., 1947.
Sam Shere/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock
Dot Robinson (right), founder of the Motor Maids of America, and her daughter Betty, 15, at a motorcycle rally in Laconia, N.H., 1947.
Sam Shere/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock
Dot Robinson (leftt), founder of the Motor Maids of America, and her daughter Betty, 15, at a motorcycle rally in Laconia, N.H., 1947.
Sam Shere/LIfe Picture Collection/Shutterstock
Motorcycle rally, Laconia, N.H., 1947.
Sam Shere/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock
Motorcycle rally, Laconia, N.H., 1947.
Sam Shere/LIfe Picture Collection/Shutterstock
At a motorcycle rally in Laconia, N.H. in 1947, some riders wore personalized protective leather belts.
Sam Shere/LIfe Picture Collection/Shutterstock
At a motorcycle rally in Laconia, N.H. in 1947, some riders wore personalized protective leather belts.
Sam Shere/LIfe Picture Collection/Shutterstock
At a motorcycle rally in Laconia, N.H. in 1947, some riders wore personalized protective leather belts.
Sam Shere/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock
At a motorcycle rally in Laconia, N.H. in 1947, some riders wore personalized protective leather belts.
Sam Shere/LIfe Picture Collection/Shutterstock
Motorcycle rally, Laconia, N.H., 1947.
Sam Shere/LIfe Picture Collection/Shutterstock
A race at the annual motorcycle rally in Laconia, N.H., 1947.
Sam Shere/LIfe Picture Collection/Shutterstock
